Interview with Antonios Lygidakis – Co-founder of ECOverified (SI mapped/piloted by CASI)
An innovator’s account of the five steps of CASI-F:
- Step 1: using CASI-F protocols and tools for sustainability relevance and scanning (case nomination)
Q: Your case was recognised and nominated as an example of sustainable innovation addressing the issue of sustainable tourism, offering a Certified Eco Label. Are you still pursuing the same objectives and are you aware of other initiatives addressing the same?
A: “We are still working under the same environmental principles but our direction has changed. This happened because our competition is well established in the field, creating a monopoly. However, our team is equipped with technical knowledge and we are now aiding global green projects on sustainable energy and environmental protection. We are also advising funding bodies on the potential impact of their investments.”
- Step 2: using CASI-F protocols and tools for multi-criteria analysis and assessment (case mapping)
Q: The nature of sustainable innovation is indeed very complex and not yet fully understood. There are many elements ('pieces of a jigsaw') that need to be considered for the innovation to become successful. Did the mapping exercise help you bring these pieces together so that you could identify gaps and areas of strength?
A: “The mapping helped us identify potential problems that we previously thought were not important. We have used the mapping forms to codify strategic responses to barriers, weaknesses and threats, as well as strengths and opportunities identified during the interviews. We then used the mapping tool CASIPEDIA to further describe the most important critical issues. During our meetings with the CASI team from the University of Manchester, strategic ideas were also proposed in face to face discussions that we later implemented.”
- Step 3: using protocols and tools for critical issue analysis and assessment (assessing barriers, threats, opportunities and drivers that can positively or negatively influence/impact the innovation)
Q: Using CASI-F, have you identified any important issues that you did not realise or think of before?
A: “We got several ideas during the interview, as mentioned above, when brainstorming on potential critical issues and solutions. One of them was the incorporation of a mobile phone app that would create user incentives on environmental issues. On the whole, we want to thank the University of Manchester CASI team for the consulting and discussions they provided. They made us think in a more commercial way and better understand the needs of the market.”
- Step 4: using protocols and tools for multi-level advice management (developing actions for different stakeholders at different levels)
Q: Did the actions support more effective implementation of your initiative? By, perhaps, thinking about the roles and interaction between different stakeholders at different levels?
A: “As I mentioned previously, we are not functioning towards the same direction anymore. The discussion we had with the CASI team during our interviews made us realise some potential routes we should follow and threats we should take into consideration. From that day onward we tried to deal with problems more efficiently and identified some dead ends. Therefore, the shift in our direction happened sooner rather than later with a minimal impact because of the consulting we received. This mobilisation and mutual learning approach the CASI team followed with our team proved to be advantageous for our company’s survival.”
- Step 5: using protocols and tools for action roadmaps management (developing more detailed sub-actions for the selected action)
Q: Have you implemented the roadmap or at least some of the sub-actions from the roadmap?
A: “We have implemented most of the roadmap’s sub-actions. Some of them were not considered unique projects before CASI mapping. They were later treated exclusively with great success.”
On behalf of the CASI project, we would like to thank Antonios and the ECOverified team for their collaboration and wish them a continuation of a successful journey through the increasingly wild innovation eco-system.
